Mellbystrand Vandrarhem STF Solstickan Hostel

The hosts were wonderful, and we were able to have an extra bed added for our third person without any fuss. We stayed one night in a clean, comfortable room with a great shower and a patio opening onto the garden. Even though it was off-season with very few guests, they started the sauna for us. Breakfast the next morning was an incredible smorgasbord, with no extra charge for either it or the sauna. We ate better than at a big city hotel. Hotel Solstickan is a short walk from Sweden’s longest sandy beach. We enjoyed the sunset view and the long, curving stretch of sand, which you can walk as far as you like. There’s also a rooftop terrace that would be great for partying in better weather. I told the hosts that if my daughter gets married in Sweden, I want the festivities at Hotel Solstickan.

Great place overall. Proper coffee at breakfast did cost extra.

After a long solo drive, I was glad to find this place close to the highway. I’d booked a single room for one night, but the very hospitable woman who greeted me offered an off-season upgrade to one of the loft houses. That turned my stop into a mini-vacation. The loft house is a small cabin-style apartment within spacious surroundings, with a huge double bed, two single beds in the loft, a kitchen, patio, and a playground nearby. It’s an easy walk to the beach. I was traveling alone, but I’d have loved it as a family stay. There’s a hostel, a hotel, and loft studio apartments on the premises, all owned by the same owner, so a group can choose different kinds of accommodation and still stay close together.

The hotel felt fresh, breakfast had plenty of choices, and they kindly let us leave our bikes overnight in a storage room when we asked. But the organization and communication were poor. The owner seemed inexperienced and intent on charging as much as possible. The spa area cost an extra 150 SEK per person, despite our 1950 SEK room rate, and the sauna wasn’t even on.